What's a few extra children...?

It's been a full house!

Haven't reported since Halloween, because that's when we started a new adventure on parenting: 2 extra kids for 5 days and 5 nights, which doubled the domestic kid count. Our friends over at Mountainpulse took a trip to NYC, getting some well-deserved kid-free time.
The youngest, Little One, is a precocious 4-year old, and the oldest, a beautiful teen, is a year younger than our Wolfman. Wolfman and Little One share a special bond: she was born on his 10th Birthday, which they've always celebrated together!


Things went amazingly smoothly -- these kids have known each other since we moved here eight years ago. They got along very well the whole time, playing, goofing, helping with chores and homework. On Sunday they were all 4 helping unload firewood from the truck, and even Little One worked hard right along with big kids, pulling her sled loaded with a few pieces of wood -- she was so proud of herself!

Election Day was very exciting around here -- the mood was most jubilant! We were listening to results on the radio (we don't do commercial TV), while the younger set stayed glued to results coming in over the internet. By the time Little One had taken her bath and we were ready for bed, McCain had conceded and we listened to Obama's speech on the radio, all piled in our big bed.

During the night, Little One got sick, and (you guessed it) started throwing up... Barfing...Tossing her biscuits... Hurling... Ralphing... Chucking chunder...the only thing unchundered was her favorite stuffed animal, Lambi! (Don't worry, no pictures)

By the next evening her older sister got sick, but without the above-mentioned component... alas, the flu bug makings its round... Now the parents are back, and hopefully will not catch it, too.

Tonight it seems so quiet in the house -- I miss the ruckus! No Little One asking me for the umpteenth time when will we bake chocolate chip cookies, no pull-ups & bedtime picture books with silly rhymes, and no elaborate forts built from chairs and quilts in the living room...

Part of me can't wait to have grandchildren (Note to Eldest in college: do take your time!) -- but there's plenty of parenting left with the older children, of course. And thank goodness they still like to cuddle with us in the big bed!